After Zander returned, the four of them enjoyed a sumptuous dinner together. Zander worked as a manager at a construction company. Despite his busy work schedule, he would make every effort to come home and have dinner with Darnell whenever Darnell could finish work on time.
Tonight's main course was Angus seared steak with smoked duck breast. Cierra thought that if Zander accidentally lost his job in the future, he could easily switch careers to become a chef. Why were these men so good at cooking, even Basil?
She relaxed her brows and looked at the three different types of men at the square dining table. Despite their varying heights and builds, they were undoubtedly exemplary good men. How lucky was she to have three good men accompany her for dinner? Thinking this, she happily drank a few more sips of Zander's treasured wine, and halfway through the meal, she fell asleep on the table.
That's right, Cierra fell asleep. Basil felt a headache coming on. How could this woman still sleep so unconcernedly like a child in front of three men? Should he say she had a big heart or praise her innocence? He sighed, then silently lowered his voice, thoughtfully adjusted the indoor air conditioning temperature, and covered her with a light coat.
All of this fell intoDarnell's eyes. This was the Basil he knew, a man who habitually hid his true feelings behind cold and distant words, believing he could deceive himself with his sharpness while pioneering his way forward, but actually possessed a gentleness that no one else could match.
"Are you going to carry her to the guest room?" Darnell glanced at Basil with a sly and cunning look, as if he was up to something again. "If you can't take her, I can do it."
A man's greatest taboo is being told he can't do something. Basil was 30 years old now and a famous director.How could he allow someone to openly mock his ability? That guy must have a death wish!
"I'll carry her." Basil gave Darnell a look, pulled back his chair with his long fingers, and easily picked up the sleeping beauty. He suddenly remembered this was the second time he had carried Cierra. The first time was also when she was drunk and fell asleep at his place. However, his mindset now seemed different from back then.
He often came to Darnell's house, so he was also familiar with Zander. Occasionally, when it got too late, he would stay in their guest room, so he was quite familiar with the place. He pushed open the door and entered the room, which was simply furnished with a large bed in the middle, a dressing table, and a wardrobe.
The fragrant and soft woman slept peacefully in his arms. She was nearly 170 cm tall, but perhaps because of her delicate frame, she felt very light in his arms, as if she weighed nothing. He lowered his head to look at her sleeping face. Maybe it was because his state of mind was different from the last time, but now he had time to calmly observe her features. He had always known she was bright and translucent, like a person made of glass. Seeing her up close, her skin looked snow white and clear, with even a few blood vessels visible. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterfly wings resting under her distant mountain-like eyebrows. He couldn't help but think of the lines from Sonnet XLIII, "I do not blame you for loving me so well, Nor will I ever. Love me for a year Or for an hour, or if you can, love me For all time. Time is more than space, And however many years there are to come.Now and forever afterward, I shall be waiting here for you."
Beautiful women have always been the object of passionate pursuit since ancient times, and Cierra was no exception. At this moment, Basil hadn't noticed that he hadn't thought of Lettie at all during this time, not even a bit, as if that long-lasting affection from childhood had already turned into a distant memory.
But he knew it wasn't true. Lettie was like an obsession embedded in his bones and blood. Even if he agreed, she wouldn't allow him to let go. It was a tug-of-war between him and the unfulfilled dreams of his youth. How had this purest youthful love become a shadow over his heart?
Could he just let go and turn to seek a more beautiful scenery? He felt he couldn't do it, and his spiritual purity made him believe he shouldn't.
Thinking of this, his brows stiffened slightly as he pulled the thin blanket over her and quietly exited the guest room. He saw Darnell leaning against the door, who knows how long he had been waiting there. The usual teasing look in Darnell's eyes was gone, replaced by a serious expression, which made Basil feel unaccustomed.
"Brother," Darnell patted him on the shoulder, "Shouldn't we sit down and have a good talk?"
Basil didn't say anything, just nodded and followed Darnell out to the balcony. There he saw a bottle of whiskey and three empty glasses on the balcony table. Zander was already sitting there leisurely, and Darnell also took a seat. Why did he feel like this scene was similar to a mother teaching her children? Had he missed a part of the progression?
